Love Me Bloody
by WritingObsession
Summary: Kitty is a vampire hunter with a grudge to settle. When she falls for a vampire with ties to her past, making her brother Sam furious, not even her unique abilities will protect her from her own blindness and the real threat. Can her love succeed?
1. Izzy and Kitty Reunited

A/N: This is a little fun I've been dreaming up... Please R/R, just to let me know if this fic is worth continuing. It's the first Twilight-related fanfic I've ever written, so I'd love constructive criticism and any and all input. ...Oh, and praise is always nice. ; ) WO

* * *

Kitty looked at her half-brother and sighed. "Tal and I will be fine, Sam. I didn't move all the way to Nowhere, Washington, just to be babysat by my wolfboy older brother." 

Sam Uley huffed in exasperation. "I don't understand why you can't just go to school on the rez, Kitty."

"You do so! Jake, back me up here, please!" Kitty turned to Jacob, who along with Embry sat in Emily's tiny living room. Sam and Kitty stood facing on another, while Emily cooked something that smelled wonderful.

Jacob grinned. "No way," he said. "I'm staying out of this."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Sam, I moved here for _you_."

"You did not move here for me. You moved here because you have an agenda, one which I will figure out sooner or later."

"Whatever. You've been begging me to come here. And you have to admit that moving here is a big sacrifice on my part. And anyway, Aunt Chantal is no wuss. She and I can take care of ourselves, okay? And anyway, everyone on the rez has known me since I was born, practically. I am not going to go to school here. Forks High is fine. And preferable."

"But the Cullens go there," Sam protested, frowning.

"Sam, the real reason you don't want me living with Tal is because she's my mom's sister. As for the Cullens, I can handle them, trust me," Kitty said darkly. "_If _they become a problem, which I doubt they will be." She reached forward and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I've seen just as much as you have, Sam, maybe even more." He snorted at this, but she pressed on, "And I've survived. I'll be fine, okay? I'm your little sister after all."

"How heartwarming," Jake laughed.

Kitty scowled and tossed a pillow at him. "I can handle the Cullens, and I can handle you too," she warned.

"Ooh, watch out, or you'll be handled," Embry chortled.

"Shut up," Kitty commanded.

"No handling!" Emily called from the kitchen. "Come and eat, all of you."

Sam hugged Kitty briefly, and then everyone trooped into the kitchen to sample Emily's cooking.

* * *

The next morning, Kitty's Aunt Chantal drove Kitty to Forks High. Chantal, who insisted that her niece call her Tal or Tally, was a dark-haired, blue-eyed woman in her forties, though she looked younger. "Now, remember to get your schedule, and be sure to speak up if you've already taken a class that's on your schedule. And don't forget to meet with the music teacher," Tal reminded. "I told him you'd discuss your taking his class early."

"Tal, I think I can handle it," Kitty replied with a smile. "Between you and Sam, I'll be suffocated with... erm, affection."

Tal laughed. "I never thought I'd become a nagger," she admitted. "I wish your mother could have seen the young woman you've become."

Kitty shook her head. "You are my mother, as far as I'm concerned. All Mom cared about were her fixes. I could never rely on her."

"Well, you can always rely on me. I promise you that. Ah, here we are. Think you can manage to jump out and make your way across the hazardous parking lot?" Tal teased, her seriousness turning light.

"I don't know, I'll have to be brave," Kitty answered. She pecked Tal on the cheek, grabbed her backpack, and slid out of the car. Tal honked the horn before she left the parking lot, and Kitty struck out across the grass, heading for what looked like the main building.

It was only after obtaining her schedule that Kitty began to wonder if maybe coming to Forks High was a good idea, after all. The very thing she had declared she detested about the school at La Push - having everyone know her - now seemed rather comforting. It would be nice if she knew someone. Kitty squared her shoulders resolutely and sloshed through the rain (of course it was raining, this was Forks, Kitty reminded herself; all the same it was not cheering) to her first class.

By lunch, Kitty was ready to shoot herself. She'd made a "friend," if the annoying girl could be called that. Jessica was the sort of blonde-in-behavior, overly-talkative, bubblegum-pinky, way-too-sweet kind of person Kitty had, at her old school, avoided like the plague. Still, Jessica, with whom Kitty shared three classes (joy was probably not the right word to describe the emotion Kitty felt at learning _that_ bit of news), kept the boredom away and gave Kitty information on everyone. It occupied Kitty's attention at least, even if Kitty did feel an almost irresistible urge to smack Jessica when she began to snap her gum.

As Kitty sat down at lunch, in between Jessica and a sullen, rude girl (who kept flipping her hair in what she obviously thought was a fetching way) named Lauren, something Jessica said caught Kitty's attention.

"Wait, what did you say?" Kitty asked politely. "I didn't catch the last part."

"Oh, I just said, don't even think about snagging one of the Cullen boys, since Jasper's with Alice and Edward is with Bella and the other one is just too good for the rest of us."

"Bella? Bella Swan?" Kitty repeated. "She goes here?"

Jessica bobbed her head. "Yeah." She sneered. "And she has hardly any time for us now since she and Edward got back together."

"I thought she lived in Arizona, though," Kitty responded. "I haven't seen her in ages..."

"She moved here to live with her dad. Oh, there she is, with _Edward_," Lauren said. "They think they're so much better than us - hey! Where are you going?"

Kitty called back, "I'll be right back," as she walked across the cafeteria. "Izzy?" she asked, when she was in earshot.

Bella turned around, tripping over something and dropping her tray. Kitty helped her pick everything up off the floor, as did a rather good-looking (okay, extremely hot) boy Kitty assumed to be Edward. As soon as she saw him, she became aware of a presence, almost a shadow, in her head, and immediately blocked it out. Edward's eyebrows shot up and Kitty shot him a blinding smile before she turned her attention back to Bella.

"Kitty?" Bella asked incredulously.

"Yep, in the flesh. Didja miss me?" Kitty answered, grinning, before she hugged Bella (as best she could around the food tray still in Bella's arms, that is). Edward took the tray from Bella and looked from his girlfriend to Kitty and back again.

"You two know each other?" he asked. His voice was like velvet, smooth and soft, and rich...Kitty jerked herself mentally away from her thoughts of Edward and focused on Bella again, glad that she had shut the vampire out of her mind. For what else could he be? With his looks, feline grace, and his presence in her mind, he was most definitely a vampire.

"Know each other? We were best friends," Bella told Edward. "She would come to visit her brother every summer, when I would visit Charlie, and we'd do everything together. But then I stopped visiting Charlie, and..." Bella trailed off.

Edward steered Bella toward a table, and Kitty followed. The two girls exchanged news and gossip as they sat together. All the while Kitty was very aware of Edward's gaze upon her. She smiled inwardly, knowing that her ability to shut him out of her thoughts was shocking to him. It had to be; as far as she knew, she was the only one with her capabilities... although she hoped not.

In a lull in the conversation, Kitty leaned over and murmured, "I assure you, the fact that you cannot sense my thoughts is not because of a failure in your abilities."

He might have jerked. If he were human. "You..."

"Have a brother named Sam," she finished with a cheeky wink. "Though I'm not as... narrow-minded as he."

Bella stared. "You know?"

"You know?" Kitty echoed, just as shocked as Bella. "Well, that just about screws all of my theories about your relationship."

Edward laughed. Kitty restrained the urge to shiver with delight at the seductive sound. Bella and Kitty joined in after a heartbeat.

When she regained the ability to breathe, Kitty wiped at her eyes and said, "Before I forget, I must ask - do you think it would be possible for me to meet with ... your parents?"

Edward raised a perfect eyebrow. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked.

"I have a request to make of them. Not one my brother knows about," she admitted after a minute, "but one I think necessary."

Bella poked Kitty in the ribs. "Well, that was totally not cryptic," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, well, I'll explain it to you in private," Kitty promised. "So," she added, turning back to Edward.

"I don't see why not. It should be fine. Dad's on a hunting trip, right now, though," he said. "He'll be back tomorrow. It should be fine for you come then, around noon. I'll contact you if it's not."

Bella grinned. "If you're lucky you'll get to meet the others."

Kitty nodded. "And I'm betting they're a lot more... charming, than Sam has told me."

Edward shook his head. "I can only imagine what he's told you."

"Might not want to do that," Kitty said ruefully. The bell rang, and she sprang to her feet. "Shit. I was supposed to meet the music teacher early - where's the music room?" she asked.

Bella gave her directions. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?" she asked.

"Of course. Wild horses couldn't keep me away," Kitty promised. "Or wolves." She laughed and went to retrieve her backpack before heading for the music room.

Edward eyed Bella. "What company you keep, Bella."

Bella giggled. "Betcha she's thinking the same thing."

Edward kissed her neck.


	2. Jack and the Princess

A/N: Here's chapter two up. Please, please review even if you hate it. I had so much fun with this chapter, since it's one where Kitty completely embarrasses herself. (Which, like so many things, is fun to hear about/watch/read, and horrible to actually live through.)** - WO  
**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"What's up with you?" Alice demanded of William, who had the shotgun seat. The latest addition to the Cullen "family" was dark-haired and wide (though nowhere near as broad as Emmett, naturally), with golden eyes that marked his recently satiated thirst. His lovely face was twisted into a sullen expression, however, and Alice, who sat behind the wheel of the parked convertible, gazed at him steadily.

"Could you wrap up the psychoanalysis and get going?" Rosalie complained from the backseat. "I want to meet this human Edward was talking about."

Emmett snorted beside her. "Why's that, Rose? You hated Bella for ages."

"And I'll probably hate this other girl, too," Rosalie shot back, "but I'd like to know sooner rather than later if I will. Alice, come on!"

Alice ignored the two. "We're not going anywhere until Will stops pouting," she said after a moment. She glared at Will pointedly at waved a hand at the trees visible all around the car. "We can sit here forever. Literally," she added.

Will rolled his eyes. "I'm not pouting," he said.

"Stop whining, while you're at it."

"I'm not whining, either," he snapped. When Alice quirked an eyebrow at him, he sighed. "Bella's... unique. For some reason, she doesn't care about what we are. What are the chances that this new girl, whom we don't know at all, will be as insane?"

Emmett crowed, "So you're scared?"

Rosalie grinned. "I promise we won't let the big bad human get you."

Will scowled. "Can we go now? The longer we delay the greater the chance we'll miss this girl." Carlisle had gone ahead with Jasper in his car already, wanting to make sure that he was in time to meet the stranger Edward had, while on the phone, simply referred to as "the girl". Jasper, though loath to be separated from Alice, was a precaution: his abilities would help that control the situation if the girl was, as Carlisle had put it, "unstable."

Alice started the car. "Relax, Will," she told him softly. "We'll be fine."

* * *

Kitty rose early Saturday morning. Despite herself she was unusually anxious about meeting the Cullens. They preyed only on animals; Kitty could verify that just by looking into Edward's eyes. _Mmm..._ she thought. She shook herself. She probably didn't want to think too much about Edward's eyes. Or any other part of him. She had a job to do. 

That thought was sobering. Kitty sighed as she dressed. She donned her lucky black jeans (low rise, comfy, and rather flattering, too), a long-sleeved black shirt that said "Riot Girl" in gold letters, and a black hoodie sweater. After a moment's deliberation, Kitty also put on her sheathed knives, which she strapped onto her lower arms and against one calf; after sliding on an old pair of sneakers, and sliding her cell phone into her pocket, Kitty pulled a brush through her hair and tromped downstairs.

Tal was already up, making breakfast. "Yum," Kitty said appreciatively as she hugged her aunt good morning.

"You're up early," Tal commented as she slid pancakes onto a plate. "Going to see Sam?" she asked.

"Not exactly. Remember Bella Swan?" Kitty replied, focusing on the pancakes and not the lie. "My friend from when I used to visit Dad down here? She lives here now." Kitty was still trying to figure out why Sam hadn't said anything about Bella. Even if she was going out with a Cullen, Sam knew how close Bella and Kitty had been. "Anyway," Kitty went on, turning her thoughts to the present, "I'm going to go see her and her boyfriend. I'll be out all day, most likely. I'm going to Em's for dinner, though." She drenched her pancakes in syrup and began to attack them with a knife and fork as she asked, "What's on your agenda today?"

Tally smiled as she sat down. "Eat, don't inhale. I'm going to lunch with a woman from work. The people around here are so friendly, really, it's kind of scary. She practically offered to bear my children when I said I was probably going to spend today alone."

Kitty looked up. "What, already counting on me to be busy?" she grinned. "Oh, and I met with the music teacher like you asked. I forgot to tell you yesterday - the man's a complete ass. His name is Tortellini or something, and he thinks he's God's gift to music students. He didn't even ask me to play for him, he just gave me a rehearsed speech about working hard in his class and gave me a slip to have you sign."

"I doubt his name is Tortellini, Kitty. That's a kind of pasta."

"You're right. It's probably Wiener."

"That's not kind of you, Kitty. However true it may be." Tally laughed at the surprised expression on Kitty's face. "I spoke with him on the phone. He's a bit pretentious."

"A bit!" Kitty shook her head. "Anyway, I'm gonna leave soon. Oh, and I want to go into Port Angeles tomorrow, to check out the clubs. With a little luck, and some lip gloss, I may be able to get a gig or something."

"Don't forget heavy flirtation," Tally added. "That'll always do some good."

Kitty giggled. "I love you, Tal," she said, and went upstairs to brush her teeth.

* * *

After killing two hours walking around Forks, checking out the local stores and businesses, Kitty finally headed for the woods. She knew well enough from Sam's warnings to "Stay away from the leeches no matter what!" and "Don't go over there!" where to go. Still, despite a general idea, it wasn't until she heard a loudly rumbling engine rolling through the trees that she had any luck getting un-lost. Kitty followed the sound of the engine to a garishly large red pickup truck barreling down a narrow path through the trees. The truck came to a stop just before a white house in a clearing in the woods, and Kitty walked to it just in time for Edward and Bella to get out. 

"Wow," Kitty grinned, simultaneously making sure the barriers around her mind were in place, "I didn't think you were the ancient-roaring-pickup-truck kinda guy, Edward."

"It's not my car!" Edward said quickly. He grimaced. "It's Bella's. She wouldn't let me drive her."

"He met me at the Thriftway," Bella put in, "and I wanted to drive my car. What's wrong with that?"

Kitty pointed at the car. "That's what's wrong."

"Thank you!" Edward exclaimed. "Finally, some backup."

Kitty put an arm around Bella's shoulders. "You have great taste in guys, not so great taste in cars." Bella laughed.

A woman appeared at the door of the house, petite, with a heart-shaped face, and breathtakingly lovely. She beckoned them in. "Hello," she said to Kitty, "I'm Esme. It's lovely to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Kitty said with a little bow as she entered the house. "I'm Kitty."

A 30-something man, who to Kitty looked extremely gorgeous (she didn't want to admit that if she didn't know what he was, she would probably be hitting on him), joined them all in living room, as did a younger boy whose eyes flicked momentarily to Kitty's throat before she returned to her face. She pretended not to notice as the older man introduced himself as Carlisle, and the boy as Jasper.

Kitty smiled and sat across from Esme and Carlisle, both of whom surveyed her with unrestrained curiosity. "I know you're wondering about me," Kitty acknowledged.

"Way to put it lightly," Bella laughed. She sat beside Edward on the couch, Kitty on her other side. Jasper watched the proceedings from an armchair slightly apart from the group.

Kitty grinned. "I'll just be frank. My name is Catherine Uley-Dunaway." Her eyes darkened as she said quietly, "I'm a vampire hunter." Esme and Carlisle exchanged a quick look, one that did not go unnoticed by Kitty. "I hunt the ones that prey on humans only," she added hastily. "I mean you no harm. Actually, I respect what you're doing here." She took a breath. "Perhaps I should begin again. Sam Uley - he's my half brother. His father was my father. My mom raised me, more or less, in New York City. I've lived there my whole life. It was only about a year ago that I learned that vampires weren't a myth." She smiled bitterly.

"My introduction to reality was... unpleasant. The short of it is, I started hunting vampires after an unfortunate incident. Before I moved here, Sam's pack alerted me to the fact that there was vampire activity in Forks and surrounding areas." Kitty leaned forward slightly. "And I don't mean you and your family, Dr. Cullen. I must admit there was another reason I moved here, one Sam doesn't know about. I'm looking for a vampire named Victoria, and from the little I could pull from Sam, she's been here and is likely to return."

Kitty's grin now was hard and frightening, showing her teeth. "I intend to take her down." She tucked a strand of hair behind one ear as she became businesslike once more. "And to that end, I need to ask a favor. If it's all right with you, I'd like to be able to search your woods. I have access to La Push, but I doubt that will do any good, since Victoria knows that the pack is there."

There was silence. Kitty pressed her lips together as Carlisle and Esme and Jasper and Edward looked at one another. Even Bella was in on the looking-at-anyone-but-Kitty-thing. Kitty sat back, waiting.

"Victoria's after Bella," Edward said finally. "Because of... well, it's a complicated thing. But why are you after Victoria?"

Kitty pursed her lips. "She... took something from me, in a way. But I'd prefer not to talk about it. It doesn't really matter, anyway."

"Excuse me, but what in _hell_ makes you think you can handle Victoria? No offense, but you're a_ human_," Jasper blurted. "You're like a ragdoll! She'll tear you apart!"

To everyone's surprise, Kitty laughed. "I'm not an idiot," she spluttered. "Do you think I'd get into this line of work if I couldn't protect myself?" It took her a moment to calm down enough to add, "I have... unique abilities. I am human, yes, but I can... _do_ things. I can't really explain it, or how it works, but I can take care of myself in a fight. I wouldn't be here right now if I couldn't." Kitty's eyes danced as she added, "After all, most vampires don't expect their food to bite back."

Esme looked very confused. "But... Kitty, what are you talking about? What abilities do you mean?"

"I think a demonstration is in order," Edward said with a nod.

Kitty shrugged. "Sure. Someone besides Bella try to jump on me."

Jasper looked down. Carlisle smiled slightly. "My other children are on their way," he said to Bella and Kitty. "They'll be here in a moment. I want to explain this all to them before I give you my answer," he added, speaking to Kitty.

Kitty nodded. "Of course." She looked at Bella. "Okay, I want to ask you a question now," she said. "How and when did you find out about the Cullens?"

Bella quickly explained, with plenty of adorable blushes, how she and Edward had met, and also why Victoria was tracking her.

"Someone's been busy," Kitty commented when Bella was finished, and the two girls laughed.

The front door opened, and two young women and two young men trooped into the living room, single file. Carlisle introduced them as they entered and seated themselves. The brawny one with the cheeky male-model grin was Emmett, the blonde with a regal air and covergirl looks was called Rosalie, the nymph-like young woman with short, spiky black hair was Alice, and finally... "This is William," Carlisle finished, but Kitty barely heard him. She got to her feet.

She stared intently at the dark features, the proud chin. The image of perfection before her, refusing to meet her eyes, was distinctly familiar. Then it hit her. "Jack?" she gasped.

He looked up then, and gazed straight at her. "Princess? What are you doing here?"

Kitty thought her knees must have turned to jelly; she was afraid she would fall over. She bit her lip to keep from trembling, though that didn't stop her heart from fluttering, which Kitty was painfully aware that everyone besides Bella had felt. "Well, what are _you_ doing here? I mean, not in the Cullens' house, because if you live here then you're obviously a vampire and that's cool, but I mean, what are you doing in _Forks_? I never thought you were the kind of person who would live anywhere but the city. Then again you did leave New York, but still. I thought you'd gone to Chicago..." Kitty stopped at last. "I think I'll stop babbling now," she said faintly, and sat down.

The silence that settled over the gathering now was embarrassing and awkward. Carlisle finally said, in the understatement of the century, "Well, I guess you two know each other."


End file.
